The Court of Auditors strongly criticizes the Center Pompidou in its report

In its report, the Court of Auditors criticizes “the reconstruction project which is insufficiently managed and whose financing is not secured”.

“Difficult sustainable economic model”, “a place of reserves whose costs have skyrocketed” : in the report published on Tuesday, April 23, the Court of Auditors singles out the Center Pompidou. He further estimates that the closure for works from 2025 to 2030 of the Georges Pompidou National Art Center, one of the most important museums of modern and contemporary art in the world, “represents an opportunity“for”compensate” in several areas, such as attendance development or human resource management.

THE “It seems that the economic model of the Center Pompidou is hardly sustainable”states the Court, which notes a “a reconstruction project that is insufficiently managed and for which financing is not secured”.

The cost of public-private partnerships is underestimated

The technical aspect is “fully supported by the state (378 million euros)” but “the cultural component must be financed from its own resources“. And the report insists on “169 million euros are missing for starting the works“.”A new reserve site whose costs have skyrocketed“it also refers to the museum collection,”rich with almost 122,000 works“, or “the second collection of modern and contemporary art in the world after that of the Museum of Modern Art in New York“.

The institution’s reserves are actually “mostly external contractors in premises rented to private landlords“but the center”involved in the project of building a new reserve in Massy“, reminds the Court of Auditors.In the context of the public-private partnership market, there were significant overruns of initial estimates due to the underestimation of certain expenditure items and the inflationary context.“, we can read in the report. Cost “The entire project is expected to be worth more than 254 million euros“.

Ten lost years

In its previous report, the Court further stated “the need to modernize the institution’s human resources management” : “almost ten years later, it is clear that no structural reform has been implemented in this area“, she exclaims.

In his response to the Court of Auditors, published alongside the report on its website, the president of the Center Pompidou, Laurent Le Bon, points out that its establishment “implements a very active policy of developing its own resources, which enabled it not to increase the rate of public financing outside the Covid period“.”Capacities for developing own resources still exist in terms of attendance, ticket sales, sponsorships and international activities. The center is resolutely committed to defining a viable, sustainable and attractive cultural and economic model.“, he adds.

The Covid crisis and the war in Ukraine

Regarding the future center in Massy (Essonne) for the conservation and storage of the national collections of the National Museum of Modern Art and the National Museum of Picasso Paris, “the choice of a public-private partnership was not only based on financial considerations, but also on issues of project complexity and risk sharing, building performance and operation over 25 years, and respect for delivery delays“, he explains.

“Support from local authorities in the amount of 42 million euros was requested“, specifies motivating”development of project costs between 2019 and 2023” from “the sharp increase in construction costs and the tightening of financing conditions after the health crisis and the war in Ukraine“.”The Center Pompidou can finance additional costs in accordance with the financing plan it sent to its supervisory ministries in June 2023. It will be updated regularly.“, he assures.